Hidden Consequences
by Higuchimon
Summary: [one-shot, Juudai & Johan friendship] So they get a little tired after they duel. That's no reason for Juudai and Johan to stop dueling, is it? Of course not. But there are always consequences.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters presented here and am not making any profit off of this whatsoever.  
**Title:** Hidden Consequences  
**Rated:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 2,152  
**Romance:** Juudai x Johan (and if you squint and tilt your head, a bit of Jim x Asuka in the making)  
**Notes:** This takes place between episodes 107 and 108 of season three GX. The transfer students have been there about two weeks. The duel energy drain from the dis-belts has been going on slowly and subtly, not yet to the point where it would be detectable as anything other than being a little more tired and somewhat more hungry afterwards. Also, this is the Juudai x Johan I wrote for that pairing having the most votes on my poll a while back. Comments and criticism gratefully accepted.  
**Summary:** So they get a little tired after they duel. That's no reason for Juudai and Johan to stop dueling, is it? Of course not. But there are always consequences.

* * *

All things considered, Juudai was as happy as he could possibly be as the first couple of weeks of his third year at Duel Academia ticked by. The nightmare that he'd had shortly after the term had begun was all but forgotten. He didn't want to think about it, really. If it happened, he'd deal with it, if not, he wasn't going to let it ruin his good times.

And the times were better than ever, because now _Johan_ as here. From the moment their eyes had met on the roof, Juudai had …well, he wasn't sure what he felt, only that he was completely happy in a way he hadn't been for years around anyone else. He felt _complete_.

Though not perfectly complete. There was still a little something missing, and he didn't know what it was. Which meant there was nothing he could do about it for the time being, so he brushed it off and went around being as happy as he could be.

Which wasn't hard at all, since most of the time he was going around with Johan, who made him happy just by existing. It was amazing, having someone who understood him that well without even having to try. It wasn't as if Shou or Kenzan didn't, but they had to work at it, and the way they were his friends was so different from the way that Johan was.

They wanted him to be something for them, he thought, the knowledge lazily rolling through his mind. A big brother, a leader, whatever. Someone who could help them. Not that he minded doing or being any of that. He didn't. But Johan just accepted him completely as he was, asking nothing and giving everything, and Juudai returned it just as completely.

"What're you thinking about?" Johan asked him. The two of them were up at Juudai's favorite place, the tree overlooking the beach. Juudai had lost no time introducing his new friend to all the wonderful places to sit and dream that Duel Academia offered.

"Huh?" Juudai peeked over at him and grinned a little. "Oh, nothing, really. Just how much fun it is with you around here."

Johan grinned back at him. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing." His grin widened even more. "So, was it not fun before I came along?"

"Of course it was! This is just different." Juudai sat up some and got comfortable against the trunk of the tree. He had a really good view of the beach and ocean from here. Maybe they could go hiking into the back parts of the island. There was that really cool lake he'd found when he was trying to find his way back to the school the previous year. He'd love to show that to Johan. There was always something new to see or do here.

Johan also moved, though he found a large-ish rock to lean up against. "This time of year at North School, we'd be stupid to be going around outside without a coat on. I kind of like it like this."

"What's it like when you're not at school?" Juudai wondered. He didn't think he'd heard Johan mention yet where he lived when he wasn't there.

"It's still kind of cold. We're up in that part of the world, after all." Johan stretched some, soaking up the sun. His skin was naturally pale, and Juudai found himself looking at it curiously, wondering what it would be like if he touched it. It didn't look just pale, it also looked soft. Would it be that way?

Before he quite knew what he was doing, he reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers across Johan's chin a little. It really was as soft as it looked. He did it again, wonderingly, and glanced over a bit to see how, or if, Johan was reacting to it.

He hadn't quite expected to see Johan leaning his head back a little, giving him a bit better access to his chin and throat, and to see that pale skin reddening just a little. Juudai blinked a few times and shifted away from him. His cheeks burned briefly himself; what in the world had he been doing?

"Uh, Johan?" Juudai swallowed, trying to think of how to make up for this. If Johan got mad at him, he completely deserved it.

Johan tilted his head a bit and looked at him. The blush deepened a little and he straightened. "So, want to go swimming or have a duel or something?" His gaze flickered away from Juudai, and appeared to find a passing cloud absolutely fascinating. Juudai glanced down his own hands; the hands that had just touched Johan's skin, and he could still feel that warmth.

"Um. Yeah. We can duel." He rummaged around in his pocket until he found his deck and put it into the duel disk. They had to duel every day, anyway, thanks to Professor Cobra's rule, but that was no hardship for either of them.

As soon as he activated his own duel disk, Johan's fascination with the cloud was gone, and he focused entirely on Juudai and the cards that they were playing with. Juudai had to admit he liked that quite a bit better than Johan staring at clouds or blushing because of a touch that probably shouldn't have happened in the first place. It was better if they both just forgot about it.

Inch by inch the duel went, back and forth, each of them making their usual great plays, and complimenting the other on how good it was. Juudai still couldn't wait for Johan to get Rainbow Dragon so he could see the crown of the Gem Beast deck in action. Maybe they should go out and look for it…but where to even begin?

At any rate, until that happened, he would just have to duel Johan with what the other had. And Johan was simply an amazing duelist, like none Juudai had ever fought against before. If these were what the pros were like…well, Juudai could hardly wait to get a chance to try his hand there!

"All right! Flame Wingman, finish it!" Juudai declared as the duel drew to a close. Johan had only five hundred life points left, while Juudai himself only had three hundred. It had been tough, even more so than their first duel. Juudai couldn't remember having had more fun in his life.

Across the board his monster flew, and delivered a mighty blow to Sapphire Pegasus. That would have just made their life points equal: if it weren't for Flame Wingman's special effect, of course. _That_ ended the duel in Juudai's favor.

Johan groaned a little, knocked back by the extra damage, then slowly sat up, grinning ruefully. "One of these days," he said, gathering up his cards from where they'd fallen. "Once I get Rainbow Dragon."

"I can't wait for it." Juudai got his own cards together, scarcely noticing the way that both of their disbelts were glowing slightly. He'd grown so used to it over the last couple of weeks, after all. And he'd grown used to something else as well: the sound of his stomach rumbling after a duel.

"You and me both." Johan's own stomach rumbled, and he rubbed it some. "Think we can get something to eat? Lunch appears to have completely vanished on me."

"Sure! Tome-san'll give us something!" Fried shrimp! Grilled fish! Ramen! The possibilities were endless!

Johan put away his deck and disk and stretched a little. He got hungrier after duels here than he ever had back at North School. Maybe that was because he dueled Juudai the most, and Juudai always made him play at his absolute best? He couldn't imagine why it would be anything else.

As they started down the hill, he realized that he could still feel, ever so faintly, the memory of Juudai's fingers on his chin. He didn't want to ask what had spurred the other to do that, but it had certainly felt good. He hadn't ever thought he was more sensitive there than anywhere else. At least, it didn't feel like he was when he rubbed his cheek or anything.

Still, Juudai had looked a bit embarrassed about the whole situation, so he decided not to say anything about it. Maybe once they got to know each other better? Though if he were honest with himself, and Johan liked to be honest with himself, he did tend to feel as if he knew Juudai very well already, as if they'd known one another their entire lives. Or longer, if that were possible.

_It started that first time,_ he thought, following the other through the woods and to the school buildings. He was learning his way around, but it still was easier to follow where Juudai led for the moment. As they walked, he spied one of his fellow transfer students, Jim Cook, dueling against a slightly familiar blonde.

"Hey, guys!" Juudai waved as they passed. "Doing good there, Asuka!"

"Having fun, Jim?" Johan asked, grinning. It was hard to be sure which of them was winning at the moment, with one of Jim's fossil monsters against a ballerina of some kind. If he wasn't so hungry, he would've suggested that they stay and watch. There was nothing like a good duel…except a good dinner, after all.

Nods and waves were their main answers, as Jim and Asuka were both quite involved in their dueling, too much to stop and talk. Johan didn't mind, nor did Juudai. They would have been the same way, after all.

"Of course you can have something to eat!" Tome-san declared as soon as they got in there and Juudai told her what they needed. "Just sit down and I'll have something right out for you two!"

Juudai and Johan took a seat each, and waited, the scents of what she was cooking quickly wafting out to them. One of her helpers came out with some appetizers and drinks before they'd been there too long, and both of them fell on the food like the proverbial hungry wolves.

"This is weird, I know I had a good breakfast, but it's like I haven't had anything to eat at all!" Juudai declared as he finished off the first plate and started on the second once the girl had brought it over.

"Same here!" Johan was eating almost as quickly. This Japanese food was different from what he was used to, but it wasn't bad, either. And, the fried shrimp was fantastic.

Plate after plate was brought out of the main courses once Tome-san had them finished, and Juudai and Johan plowed through them until they finally couldn't eat another bite. Johan yawned a little; eating too much always had a habit of putting him to sleep.

"I think I'm going to go take a nap," Juudai murmured before Johan even had a chance to say the same thing. "Want to come along?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Johan levered himself to his feet and together he and Juudai headed over towards the Osiris Red dorm. Climbing the steps up to Juudai's dorm was a bit of a strain, given everything they'd just finished eating, but they managed it. Taking their shoes off was as far as either of them could get before they virtually fell onto the bed, not even noticing that they ended up curled around one another. Being like that just felt too good for them to care, even if they had noticed.

It was in that position that Shou and Fubuki saw them half an hour later. Shou couldn't be all that surprised that Juudai was napping in the middle of the day. But to see him cuddled around Johan…that was a bit on the surprising side. Fubuki just grinned. The homework he'd wanted to ask about could wait. This was just too good to avoid.

"Asuka's going to love this," he murmured as he took a camera out from one sleeve and took a couple of pictures of the two of them like that. Maybe they'd want a copy once they woke up. He'd have to find out.

Shou blushed when he saw what Fubuki was doing and tried to push him away from the door. He'd come in to do a bit of homework, but now all he wanted was just to go somewhere else and let them rest in peace. "Sh! You don't want to wake them up!"

Fubuki only grinned. He knew he had some good shots, and didn't protest when Shou closed the door. He wondered if Juudai and Johan would like to know about a little cove he knew on the far side of the island, perfect for cuddling…

And behind the door, the two of them just slept onward, unaware of the consequences that were to come.

**The End**


End file.
